Pucker up!
by Lonaargh
Summary: Hey, you know? You know what? You look just like him. The same red bandana, the same dark eyes." "At least you still remembered the day you met Captain Jack Sparrow." He says, before sauntering off into the streets of Port Royal.
1. Look at me!

Chapter 1: Look at me

_Sea__… Endless sea… _

Nothing but water, water all around… Well, apart from a few clouds here and there, and let's not forget about the occasional seagull that kept on annoying him to no end. But other than that it was all water.

"Stupid bird…" He muttered after chasing away yet another one of those pests who were very persistent in trying to steal his last food.

_Water, and lots of it… But not a single drop of that bloody stuff is drinkable, how much more worse could this get?_ Jack glanced down over the edge of his little dinghy. His little dinghy, which had been lost at sea for several days now, had only enough food and water to last him until this very day. So, what should he do now?

_No more water, no more food__… Only endless sea and endless seagulls_… Pondering deeply, Jack lay back down. Staring at the blue sky above him he started thinking about his new plan of action, apart from basically staying alive. He found that lying down and seeing everything upside down improved his thinking.

_All right, step one: Find food_. Yes, food would be good. Food would be great and delicious and… No wait! Water is more important, right? There is water in rum, so water is good.  
"Great thinking Jack me boy, just wonderful. Now, obviously there is a lot of water around us, but none of it is very good. What else contains water around here?" Jack conversationally told himself, while waving his hands in a few vague directions as if to indicate to himself where the sea was.

Another curious seagull sat down on the bench just above Jack's head, squawking and bobbing his head as he listened to Jack mutter on about water: "Wood? Well, I think trees need water… But I doubt this excuse of a boat actually was a real tree... What else have we got? Oh, look. Clouds! Clouds have a lot of water; they use it to make rain of. But it's not exactly in close reach, now is it? No, you're right Jack… How silly of me..."

_Squawk?!?!_ The slightly confused seagull looked down; trying to figure out what kind of creature would flap his limbs around like that without any purpose.

"Ah look, it's a little birdie. Hello there birdie. Birdies don't have water, do they?" Silence.

"Well… it's worth a try."

"_Squawk?"_

Trying not to scare the bird away Jack slowly moved his arms up, looking at the seagull from an upside down point of view.

"Nice birdie, sweet birdie. Are you full of water birdie?"

_Squawk!!!_

"Gotcha… Aw bloody hell! Come back here you worthless chicken!!!"

The bird seemed to have been scared by something before Jack could grab a hold of it, making this the seagull's lucky day.

Jack jumped up; shaking his fist at the fleeing bird before seeing what it actually was that scared his precious flying water supply away.

"It's a ship! A real ship! Thank you birdies!" Jack started waving and jumping up and down in his little boat, causing it to rock dangerously.

"Oy! Over here!" But he did not get any reaction from the enormous vessel, it seemed as if they were about to pass him by.

"No, no… wait! Oy! Here! Look at me!" He took off his shirt and started waving it in the hope of getting the crew's attention.

When that didn't work he looked around frantically, in search of something that would be noticeable. _The sails of the dinghy! But of course! _Jacksmirked, his gold teeth glinting in the sun. He had a plan, one that couldn't fail. Blowing a kiss to the ship in the distance, Jack set to work.

A few minutes later Jack saw his plan working, the ship was coming towards him. He looked around, proud of this achievement. But the looking around also showed him the biggest flaw in his plan. You see, his plan was to set the sails of his little boat on fire. Surely, they wouldn't miss such a big fire now, would they?

And truth be told, they really didn't miss the fire and they really were coming to his rescue. But they were still a pretty good distance away, and the fire was rapidly spreading. Staring at the flames that were already eating away at the bench, Jack mumbled the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh bugger…"


	2. Friends forever and ever

**Chapter 2: Friends forever and ever**

Scribbling in the dark. The tip of a pen scratching over the paper that lies next to a candle on the table. Next to the paper a few letters are scattered around. The first one reads as follows:

"_My dear friend and companion,_

_I cannot express how sorry I am for not seeking contact with you any sooner. I can fully understand if you do not wish to speak to me. But I would like to remind you of all the fun time we've had in the past. Remember when we were in Tortuga? Seducing all those pretty wenches and drinking as much rum as we could hold and more. _

_And remember when I saved your life multiple times back in Singapore? If I hadn't distracted those guards, who knows what would have happened? You could've been shot! Or hanged! Or worse. Think about that for a second._

_Also, if I recall correctly, I gave you all that money when you were a bit short on cash with your wedding and all that. And the hat! Don't forget about the hat. The one with the pretty feather in it._

_Now, how could you still be cross with me after all those fun and great times we've had together?__ Contemplate those good and fine times and tell me, in all honesty, was it really so bad that I kissed Elizabeth? I mean, it was just a little kiss. Nothing much really. I didn't even like it!_

_Please be a mate, mate. Please come and save me from this cell. I know that you know where I am and I know that you know that Norrington knows I'm innocent. This time at least. _

_Yours truly,_

_Captain Jack Sparrow_"

Jack sighs as he reads Will's reply. Surely the whelp wouldn't leave him here to rot? But then again, he probably was a bit offended about the whole 'kissing someone else's girlfriend' affair. And the little detail of him betraying Will with that compass thing. And the sword fighting. And..stuff.

"_Captain Sparrow,_

_I do recall those days, but I have to say that I recall them somewhat different than you.  
For example, I don't remember myself seducing any wenches or other women, save for Elizabeth ofcourse. Neither can I remember about drinking vast amounts of rum myself. What I do remember though is you running after every female on every island we encountered. You usually were so drunk you shouldn't have been able to stand on your feet. But you somehow miraculously managed to stand upright, most of the time._

_And you didn't save my life, it was quite the other way around. You distracted the guards by pointing at me while shouting "There he goes!". When they looked back you were gone, and I was suddenly their new suspect. I barely escaped that time. Not thanks to you I might add. You are right, I could've been shot, or hanged. Thanks for reminding me on that._

_As for that money you gave me, that was just a small percentage of what I loaned you only two months before. Now I come to think about it, you still owe me at least 50 gold pieces!  
You're right about the hat, that one I like. _

_No Jack, I can't forget about you and Elizabeth kissing. I'm sorry._

_With Kind Regards,_

_William Turner_"

Shaking his head, Jack turns his attention to the new letter he's writing to Will.  
"_.. Maybe she did like it but that's no fault of mine.. _no, no.. that's not going to help"  
Then, barely audible, a soft _click_ catches his attention. When he turns his head towards the sound he sees something wrapped in paper lying on the prison cell floor.

He picks it up and a key drops in his hands. The key to his celldoor. Raising an eyebrow, Jack looks at the paper in his hands. It's a small letter.

"_Forgive I cannot, but I can still be a friend."_

With a smirk Jack opens the door and stealthily sneaks around the snoring guard. He crumples up the paper and tosses it behind him, smirking.  
"Good lad, takes after his dad".

_Reviews:_

_**JeanieBeanie33****: **Oh damn.. I totally didn't respond to your review.. and it has been almost a whole year O.o I'm so, so sorry.. _

_**Ducky'sgirl4ever: **Thank you :) I'll try to update more regularly now :)_


	3. He's a fine man

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of The Caribbean, nor any of it's characters. So don't sue!**

**Chapter 3: (Jolt) He's a fine man**

Dresses, corsets, makeup, jewelry, shoes. The large and brightly sunlit bedroom is simply filled with all sorts of garments and accessories .  
A young girl is digging through her closet, examining and discarding everything she comes across.

"It's useless! Nothing seems to fit or is just too ugly to be seen in." Exasperated, Elizabeth throws yet another expensive dress on her bed. She glares around, daring the various pieces of clothing to come alive and object at being called ugly or unfit.

Elizabeth, as any 16 year old girl, is having a little bit trouble with deciding which dress she should wear to the ball tonight.

This should come as no surprise to anyone who has had any experience with 16 year old girls, usually they fret about clothing every day in the week.

But today is a special day for Elizabeth. Today, or rather tonight, she'll be dancing with the famous James Norrington. He asked her father for a spot in her ball book. "If she would be so kind to save a dance for me?" he had asked. As if she'd ever hesitate to dance with him!

James was a very fine man, very fine indeed. A smile comes to her lips when she thinks of him. James with his magnificent white wig and great sword. James in his uniform, telling the other sailors what to do. He is so manly, so masculine, so.. so.. unlike any other man she has ever met.

"Miss? You have to hurry. Your father wants to leave for the ball in less then forty minutes" The maid flurries around Elizabeth, trying to avoid the mess lying on the ground.

Rudely pulled from her daydream, Elizabeth frowns and looks around the room as if she sees it for the first time. Then, realization dawns on her.

"I have got nothing to wear.." she mumbles, her lip quivering. And this is a critical point in every dramatic dressing scene. Every girl has been through this. Having nothing to wear, while the whole closet is full with clothes. It will drive every man insane, but women have to deal with it almost on a daily basis.

The maid gently leads Elizabeth to her dressing table and makes her sit down. Forlorn and numb, Elizabeth gazes at the mess she made.

"There. Sit down. I'll get you a dress and we'll fix your hair and make up in less than no time."

Ah yes, the miracles maids can perform. Because a mere hour later, Elizabeth is ready and set to go to the ball.

When she comes down in the hall, she sees her father talking to someone she knows very well. William Turner. That raggedy boy they saved a few years back. Last she heard about him he was made an apprentice as a blacksmith.

Bit of a shame really, when she found that medallion she had hoped that he would be the son of a mighty pirate. She had dreamt about great adventures at sea with her and William.

But as the years went by, and no mighty pirate had stopped in Port Royal to pick William up, Elizabeth had lost interest.

It was strange to see him again now, he wasn't a little boy anymore. Well, he wasn't a man like James, obviously. But still. There was something about William suddenly that made her blush like a little girl.

"Ah, Elizabeth. Finally. You, ah, remember master Turner? He just stopped by to deliver those wonderful candelas. Aren't they lovely?"

Elizabeth nods at William as he takes her hand and gives it a light kiss. Suddenly it feels as though a spark flew from his lips to her hand. With a jolt she pulls her hand back. Startled she looks Will in the eyes. Oh dear.

All at once, James doesn't seem so fine anymore.


	4. It should've been me

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of The Caribbean, nor any of it's characters. ****So don't sue!**

**Special thanks to my beta reader: Alexis4**

_Chapter 4: It should've been me_

".. and really bad eggs." Jack shelters his eyes as he looks towards the beach, humming a tune that's very familiar to him. It's going to happen again today. And that irks him. It irritates him to no end, and he can't figure out why.

He just doesn't get it. He really can't understand that woman. What in the blazes does she see in that boy? That obnoxious little boy?

He is so arrogant, so full of himself. And just when you think you've got him all figured out, he just runs along and does something incredibly… stupid. Look what good it did him. Captain of the Flying Dutchman. Stupid. And what else has he got?

Alright, he is rather good looking. For a eunuch. And a whelp. He'll grant him that much. But seriously, what is it that she sees in him? Maybe it's the way he handles his sword. Some girls like that. Swooning about some stupid blighter that waves his iron around like a feather duster.

Jack lies back on the soft sand, staring at the blue sky and seagulls above him.  
It must be the hat. What else has the kid got? Apart from an undead crew and a ship that sails underwater of course. That doesn't count, because… well… because… Just because. It just doesn't count.

He turns around and rests his chin on his hands, glaring at the tiny figure in the distance. No, it still irks him. And it shouldn't. It really shouldn't bother him this much.

Let's look at it from another point of view, shall we?

Whatever does the whelp see in her? Sure, she has a rich daddy. And she's reasonably attractive. Of sorts. But not much. A liar and a cheat too. He was positive that chaining him to that bloody ship to let him get eaten by that bloody monster made her a murderer too! Murderess. Kind of thing.

He watches the figure in the dress blunder across the dunes, making it's way to a cozy little alcove. How romantic. Sickening really. And to think that it could've been him. She had liked him. She proved that when she kissed him. And he had liked her. Well up to the point where she tried to kill him.

It should have been him. It could have been him. Couldn't it?

No. No, that's not true. He would never be so over dramatic and disgustingly heroic. Who, in his right mind, would be so stupid as to become the captain of the Flying Dutchman? And why? To save his father? Please. Not him. No sir. He'd sell his father to Davy Jones himself before doing such a stupid thing.

Immortality. Huh. It all seems so fantastic. Not dying, drinking all the booze you like. Not dying. But when you start thinking about it, REALLY think about it, then it isn't all that great after all. Just imagine. The world around you aging, changing, and passing along. Without you. Old friends dying, turning to dust. And you just persevere.

The tiny figure on the beach stands up and walks towards the waterline. She's waiting for something, or someone.

Jack stands up and sighs, brushing the sand of his breeches. Immortality. Seeing your loved ones perish, not being able to do a thing about it.

It still bothers him. But now he knows why. And he isn't too happy about it.

The water is starting to churn and slowly a man rises from the depths. The girl rushes towards the man and embraces him with warmth. Jack stares at the pretty scene, scowling. When the happy couple starts kissing each other with passion, Jack turns away, muttering under his breath.

"Drink up me hearties yoho."

It really, really, really should've been him.


	5. Hey, you know?

_A/N: So, here we are again with a new chapter. I know that I've been a bit slackish in my updating recently, but I've been a bit busy these last couple of months with getting engaged and moving and stuff. But I'm trying to get my writing back on the road, and with a lot of help from my beta I'm sure that will be no problem. A special thanks to Alexis4. Enjoy the new chapter._

**Disclaimer: Almost everything belongs to Disney. Some of these descriptions I stole from Rob de Nijs and his song Malle Babbe. Cassandra is mine.**

**Chapter 5: Hey, you know..?**

_It's a dark rainy night in Port Royal. The pubs are slowly turning their customers out, as it's getting pretty late by now. But in one pub, a young woman is still drinking with a man. She's a bit the worse for drink, as she probably is every night. Her skirts are ragged and torn, her face shows the signs of hardship and hunger. Young though she is, life hasn't been kind on her._

_Her customer doesn't seem to mind it though, he's listening patiently to her ranting and babbling._

"Wandering the streets at night, mingling with thieves and criminals. Walking side by side with beggars and soldiers. Lifting your skirts, smiling at every man that has the nerve to do in the dark, what can't be done during day. And every night, in the bars and pubs, they'll call my name when they're sitting at the tables and drinking their ale.

"'Cassandra, love. Puppet, c'mere,' 'Silly girl, pretty broad, my little kitten of joy'.  
It's disgusting really, but everybody has got to make a living. And I don't really have choice, now do I? What, with three children sitting at home, screaming for food. They're eating me out of house and home, they are. Bless their hearts, I don't know what I would've done without them.

Ah sir, I can see you thinking 'But there are plenty of jobs around this place. Why not take one of them?' To tell you the truth, I don't know. I somehow feel like I'm wasting everything I have here. My life, my sanity, and my dignity.

This all started off as a one night thing, you know? Just once, to make quick cash. I just had my eldest kid then, didn't have a man to take care of me, not a crumb of food in the house. It was that night I met him. I didn't know his name then, I was so nervous that I forgot to ask. But he was so sweet and nice. We stayed up all night, just talking. He told me I didn't have to do it, that I could do everything I wanted to. And when we finished talking it was almost daylight! Can you imagine that?

He gave me my fee and went off. Just like that. Well, I figured that if I went back the night after, he'd be there again too. But he didn't show and I didn't have any money left, so I took another man with me. But he didn't want to talk, he wanted what every other bloke in here wants. So I gave it and didn't feel good about it.

But I just kept going to the pub, night after night, waiting for him and eventually hooking up with somebody else because I didn't have any money. Night after night. But nights turned into weeks, weeks into months.

And I still never ask for their names. Not because I forget though, but because I simply don't care. He has his little minute of joy, pays his fee and leaves me lying here as a worthless piece of junk.

Every Sunday, in church, I see those men sitting there in the benches. Stiff like a board, staring at their bibles. Afraid of the devil and afraid of their wives. Their nice suits cleanly pressed on their sinner's body, donating a penny to buy their soul and decency back. It makes me sick to think that I have to stand in the back, in the dark, while those disgusting men are sitting there. Acting all high and mighty.

After a while, I couldn't even remember who I was waiting for. Every bloke here just looks like the other bloke, if you get my drift. But then, one day, I overheard some drunkards talking about this captain who might have been my guy. He was supposed to have taken over the Black Pearl and defeated the Royal Navy singlehandedly! Jack Sparrow his name was.

Well, that got me to thinking again. What if, you see, what if he really was a captain? And what if he went away all those years to get some sort of fortune in gold and silver and whatnot, and came back to rescue me? The old Damsel In Distress kind of thing. Because between you and me, I'm distressing pretty bad lately.

I've been dreaming about it since that day. One day, they'll be chiming the church bells for us. Then I'll be wearing white flowers and ribbons on my skirts. Oh, how they'll stare, green with envy, when I have my captain on my arm. Everything will be different after that. The kids will have new clothes, shoes and plenty of food. Never again will they be hungry or cold. All because of that one guy I met so many years ago.

Hey, you know? You know what? You look just like him. The same red bandana, the same dark eyes. The same keen listener. But I bet you aren't him. I bet he forgot about me long ago. Such a shame really…"  
_  
Cassandra rests her head on the table and drifts asleep, her already dirty hair getting soaked in spilled ale and rum._

_The man smiles and drops a few gold coins in front of her. She'll never have to worry about money again. She can do anything she wants to do now, just like he promised so many years ago.  
He stands up and gives her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Putting his hat back on his head, he gives the sleeping girl a smart salute.  
"_At least you still remembered the day you met Captain Jack Sparrow_." He says, before sauntering off into the streets of Port Royal._

_Let me know what you think_._ The next chapter will be about "the space between dream and reality"._


End file.
